A HOSPITAL doctor whose life was saved by a liver transplant is urging people to register as an organ donor.

Vanessa Poeppinghaus, a surgeon in the A&E department at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, had an inherited liver disorder which by her early 30s was worsening.

Without a transplant her life was in danger, her career as a doctor would have ended and so would the active family and social life she enjoyed.

Doctors decided a transplant was needed and she received one at Kings College Hospital, London in 1990 when a suitable organ became available.

Nearly 20 years on Vanessa is a mother of two children and has pursued a full-time career at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Vanessa said: “I really haven’t looked back since having the transplant. There were times during my illness when I felt really ill and depressed and that the family life and career I had worked so hard for would just not be possible.

“The transplant truly gave me a new lease of life and has allowed me to have the very fulfilling lifestyle I now enjoy.”

Following her transplant Vanessa wrote to the donor family, through the hospital transplant coordinator, to thank them for the gift of life.

She added: “It would not be possible for me to be here today without the death of another. The gift of life is indeed very precious and this is what the donor’s family gave me.

“I have only my sincere and loving thanks to the family whose courage at a time of great personal tragedy made it all possible.”

Vanessa requires annual check-ups and takes immuno-supressant drugs daily to stop her body rejecting the liver but leads a completely normal life.

Although more transplant operations were carried out last year than ever before, over 10,000 people currently need a transplant in Britain.

Only 30 patients from North Wales received organ transplants last year with a further 92 on waiting lists.

NHS research has shown that while 90% of people agree with the principle of organ donation, only 25% actually register as donors. From a population of over 650,000, there are 178,329 people on the Organ Donation Register in North Wales.

Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board member Harri Owen-Jones said: “We need to convert public support for organ donation into action by encouraging people to sign the organ donation register .”

Join the NHS Organ Donor Register and let those closest to you know your wishes about organ donation at www.organdonation.nhs.uk, phone 0300 123 23 23 or by texting SAVE to 84118.